Self-improvement and personal growth is not something that readily comes to mind when our baby is born. We must concentrate on getting enough sleep and providing proper nutrition for ourselves and the baby. But with a few months of experience and those first laughs of our baby we get a hint of reassurance that we are getting better at this and there is indeed space for us to reconnect with our own ambitions.

Based on my own experience, I would point out three parts of personal growth journey for new mothers. They are characterized by the following pursuits.

  • ACCEPTANCE : Adjustment, Retreat, Recovery
  • AWARENESS: Possibility, Aspiration, Ambition
  • ACTION: Empowerment, Responsibility, Dedication

Personal development for mothers is a very individualized process, which should be timed and paced appropriately.

ACCEPTANCE Retreat, Recovery, Adjustment

After the birth of our child we must concentrate on recovery, getting enough sleep and on making sure our baby is thriving. With this newly arrived life we have an increased demands on our emotional and physical states. Failure to take necessary rest and adequate nutrition could lead to extremely negative effects on us mentally and physically. Often we experience a lot of self-doubt and disempowering thoughts. We must learn to rely on help of others and accept help from our partner as well as extended families inasmuch as possible. Could a life coach offer you any support on this stage?

AWARENESS Possibility, Aspiration, Ambition

This stage opens up some time for ourselves and as the smiles of our baby bring in more assurance into our daily lives we start dreaming and planning for what could be possible for us in the future. Many women choose to go back to work and continue pursuing their career. When we stay at home with our children, however, we might start venturing out participating in various activities, such as volunteering, teaching, organizing play dates and continuing our personal education. This is a perfect time to search what really inspires and interests us, which areas we could start researching and deepening our knowledge in which could eventually allow us to grow and self-actualize as we bring up our children and take care of our family.

Could this be where you are right now?

ACTION Empowerment, Responsibility, Commitment

We feel empowered when a demanding situation or an inspired action leads us to amazing developments in our lives. When we see our children going to pre-school and taking care of their own basic needs we realize that all the knowledge that we have accumulated in Stage 2 can be now moulded into some sort of employment opportunity, money-making activity or possibly a business. During this stage we can make bigger commitments and dedicate more time to our passion. This is the best time to make a leap to the next stage and decide what it is we would like to pursue. We plan, we make a vision, we reverse-engineer our quarterly plans and we go for it. Getting a support structure in place along with a mentor or an accountability partner will ensure our success.

Whatever point of your motherhood journey you are at right now, take a moment to consider, if you you doing your best, if there is space for you to improve, to grow and to move a little bit forward…

And if you read this far, you are ready to make a leap, because deep in your heart you know that you are capable of so much more!